


Bridging the Distance

by thewatch



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-03 23:35:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13351854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewatch/pseuds/thewatch
Summary: Doctor Culber hears some alarming stories about the infamous Chief Engineer on his new posting to the Discovery.Inspired by a Tumblr prompt.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been several years since I last tried writing anything, and I'm just getting back into it thanks to Star Trek: Discovery and the lovely fan community on Tumblr. I hope I improve with more practice.
> 
> Please let me know of any spelling/grammer errors as I've only proof read it myself. Constructive criticism is welcome, but be nice please. Hope you enjoy.

Preparing a ship and crew for departure always seemed to be an unending rush of checks, diagnostics and assessments. The medical department had a full roster of physicals to complete for anyone more than two months away from their previous check-up, along with full equipment and stock checks and research studies to prepare. 

Hugh had been working non-stop since coming aboard. It had seemed to be unending, along with getting to know the medical team and collaborating with the CMO on the roster once the regular duty schedule would start. His off day had been taken up with unpacking the rest of his belongings, that didn’t include his uniforms, keeping up his exercise routine and clearing his paperwork before his next shift.

In the morning Hugh ran through his schedule before the start of his shift as usual. The last crew physicals would be completed this week and it looked like he had the last couple of cadets to finish up, along with the Chief Engineer himself booked in as the last one. Hugh’s colleague, Dr Randell came up to the terminal beside him to check her own schedule for the week. “How many physicals have you got left now? I think we should be done with them all over the next few days right?” 

“Should be. I’ve got the last couple of cadets to go through and then the Chief Engineer to finish it off.” Culber replied. Noting the times on his Padd to make sure to prep the physicals in advance. 

“The Chief Engineer? Isn’t that Lt. Stamets?” Asked Randell. 

Checking his screen for the list of names Hugh scrolls back to check. “Lt. Paul Stamets. That’s right.”

“Ah, sorry. Bad luck on the draw on that one.” Clapping Hugh on the back Randell is gone before Hugh can ask anything else. Quickly glancing through the Lieutenants file doesn’t reveal much. He can only access the medical related parts after all, which doesn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. Putting it aside for the moment, as he has a full schedule for the day as it is and the physical in question isn’t until tomorrow, Hugh sets about his work.

It’s about half way through his shift when Hugh stops for a break. So far he hasn’t fallen behind, got two of his three physicals done for the day and set up the foundation for his research project. He won’t be able to start it until after the ship is underway. But the more he can prepare now the sooner he can start his work after they launch, between his duties of course.

Two of his fellow medical team are in the mess hall as well and he moves to join them with his meal. Coming in as the deputy CMO on a whole new team can be a challenge, but so far all the medical staff seem easy to get along with. “Hey Culber." Ensign Jinn waves him to take a seat once he gets close. "Randell says you get to do Stamets physical tomorrow? That true?” Setting down his tray and taking his seat, Hugh looks across at his fellow physicians. “That’s right. Why is everyone making a big deal about it?”

Glancing at each other with wry smiles, sharing some kind of private joke, the two junior officers start to eat as Jinn, who had spoken first and has obviously been nominated to enlighten Hugh, turns to him. “No one will deny that Stamets is an incredible scientist. His research alone, even without the new breakthroughs are seriously revolutionary.” Pausing to eat a mouthful if his lunch, Hugh gets the impression the buildup is just leading into some kind of doom laden pitfall.

“But as a person, I haven’t met anyone who has had to deal with him that’s said a good word about him. It’s usually some combination of rude, impatient and dismissive, with occasional helpings of being a real jerk and hurting people’s feelings.”

“To everyone?” Hugh asks, slightly incredulous. He’s met people before who are short tempered and could be described as difficult to work with. Being a genius can certainly be a precursor to impatience in his experience, but even then, the behaviour being described seems a little extreme. It’s possible he is as bad as they’re saying, but Hugh can’t help but wonder if there’s some mitigating circumstances. He prefers to give people the benefit of the doubt after all, especially those he hasn’t yet met himself.

“I swear it’s that bad.” Jinn continues. “I heard that some of his mushroom samples weren’t transported properly and he ripped into the officer. They even outranked him and he didn’t care.” They got distracted comparing times senior officers had messed with their work and the conversation lead away from Stamets. Part of Hugh couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for that situation. He didn’t know anything about the Engineers research, but he knows he would be pretty upset if someone damaged material for one of his projects, especially if it was through some careless handling. Still, it was second hand gossip at best and while he couldn’t deny he now felt some trepidation at the upcoming encounter, he would just have to deal with whatever was going to happen.

If Stamets really was so difficult to deal with, then maybe he would appreciate it more if Hugh was just as professional and efficient as possible. Hopefully it would make the situation bearable for both of them.

The day of the now somewhat ominous physical had dawned and Hugh was as ready as he could be. He had everything he would need laid out and whatever this Lieutenant actually turned out to be like, he would be professional and courteous. It wasn’t uncommon for many people to dislike physicals after all, especially with a strange Doctor they had never met before, so hopefully at worst it would be no more difficult than tough patients he had dealt with before. 

Going through some charts on his console, Hugh suddenly felt a presence hovering by his shoulder. Turning round he finally came face to face with his final physicals appointment. About the same height, pale skin, blond and frowning slightly.

“Doctor. I’m here for my Physical appointment.” 

“You must be Lt. Stamets then. I’m Dr. Culber.” Reaching for the neat stack of clothes normally worn for the procedure, he held them out towards the Lt. with his usual smile of greeting. “Everything is ready to start.” 

Indicating the room for privacy to his left he continued. “You can change just through there and it’s fine to leave your uniform there for the duration. No one else will use that space until we’re finished.” After a moment’s hesitation, Stamets reached out and took the clothes from him. “I’ll just be a moment.” 

“Of course.” Hugh replies. Nodding slightly to Culber in thanks he moves round him, heading to the changing area. Well, so far so good it seems, as Hugh hopes this reasonable beginning will be a good indicator for the rest of the time.

When Lt. Stamets returns from changing, Hugh takes the blood samples to start them running and measures all the base vitals before beginning the exercises. Stamets is very quiet, following Hugh’s instructions with only an occasional query and generally being one of the easiest people to work with during this process that Hugh has come across. Some people like to chat a lot during a physical, trying to pick up gossip or because they like to talk. There have been plenty of times when Hugh would quite like them to shut up, in all honesty. There are the ones who brag and try and show off, ones who flirt and ones who babble with nerves. This Chief Engineer, however isn’t doing any of those things. He seems to be rather focused on getting the instructions correct, but not trying to rush through them to get it over with like some do. 

Hugh can recognise when someone doesn’t feel confident initiating casual conversation. He may not be a trained councillor, but you need to pick up some good skills in character assessment when you’re going to treat most members of the crew at some point during a tour of duty. Both bedside manner and off duty interaction make interpersonal skills essential. 

He is certainly not getting any of the difficulty or rudeness that everyone who has mentioned the Lt has told him to expect. “Just thirty more seconds here and then we’re half way done.” He sees Stamets nod in acknowledgment, but he can’t quite tell if he likes Hugh making encouraging comments and occasional commentary or not. He figures that if it really annoyed him he would have been told to stop by now at least. The timer comes to an end Stamets sits up, a light sheen of sweat on his face and a flush on his cheeks from the exertion. “Please have a drink when you need one, I know this can be dehydrating." He indicates the water bottle on the main desk in the exam area. Glancing at him briefly, the Engineer murmurs a thank you and goes to take a drink. Hugh inputs the readings and results from the previous device into his Padd, and starts heading over towards the next device as Stamets comes over to join him. “How is everything in Engineering going? It must be pretty hectic getting everything ready for launch.”

“It’s been busy.” Agrees Stamets, nodding slightly. “But we’re almost finished now.” After a moment's pause, it's clear there isn’t going to be more details forthcoming, so Hugh directs him to the next piece of equipment. 

Stamets is obviously not interested in small talk or gossip. Recalling the somewhat disparaging and amused remarks Hugh has heard about his mushroom based research, he guesses most people not directly involved in the his work don’t seem to take it very seriously, or show much interest in understanding it. 

He can’t deny he’s a little curious about the cultivation bay that’s been designed in engineering. This seems to be the key in engaging Stamets into talking for more than a single sentence. His mushroom garden is obviously something he's very proud of. He hadn’t expected an engineer to have much interest in anything to do with botany or biology, but the subject lights up the Engineer. Hugh notes how he seems to unconsciously relax as he gets into his subject, detailing the irrigation system for his garden. The lightness in Stamets demeanour while explaining the system seems to soften him, the pensive frown that had been almost constant up until then transforming into a smile. 

It’s a look Hugh has seen before, on himself sometimes, and on the faces of any explorer expressing the wonder of some esoteric part of the Universe. It wasn’t something he had honestly thought to see in Stamets, but that moment gives him an insight into this apparently prickly genius. The frustration he must feel toward those who don’t share that sense of wonder, and perhaps the difficulty in understanding why they don’t share it.

It doesn’t last long however, as after only a minute or two he seems to catch up with himself. Stumbling slightly over his words as he came to a halt in his speech. “Sorry Doctor, I didn’t mean to go on.” The tension returning to his frame again. Keeping his disappointment in the halted conversation hidden, he aims to reassure him. “Not at all Lt. I don’t meet many engineers who know anything about biology, plant based or otherwise. It’s a nice change.” The surprise from Stamets seems to bring back a little of the ease from before, and he nods a little in acknowledgment. “Understandable.” 

Beginning the next set of exercises, the silence between them was more comfortable. After a few minutes the Lt cleared his throat slightly. “So what made you pursue medicine in Starfleet? You could have been a Doctor anywhere.” Looking over, Hugh catches his eyes for a moment, before Stamets begins focusing rather hard on his movements for the exercise. There’s a flush to his cheeks, which could as easily be from the exertion as from anything else. 

“For all the knowledge of other lifeforms we have, there must be innumerable forms of life we have yet to encounter. We don’t even know all the answers or questions about ourselves yet. To have the chance to meet new life, to try and understand them a little is exciting. As well as keeping all of you alive out here, when who knows what kind of things could happen.” Sharing a look of mild amusement, Stamets seems to finally relax that last little bit. “Indeed. The non life threatening side of interesting must get a little boring on occasions.” Huffing a laugh, Hugh can’t help but smile back as he responded. “Right. But only on occasion.”

With the last of the physical completed, the Lieutenant changes back into his uniform while Hugh made sure the last of the results were input for processing and the final set of tests started to run. Coming over to Hugh, Stamets handed him the neatly refolded clothes from the physical. No one had ever bothered to return the clothes before, let alone neatly. They were usually left in a pile in the changing room for one of them to retrieve afterwards. “Thank you Lieutenant.” The surprise and appreciation for the gesture evident in his voice. “You’re welcome. Thanks for your time.” Ducking his head a little, Stamets nods to the Doctor before leaving. 

Watching him go, Hugh looks back down at the folded clothes he’s just been handed. Just about everything about the encounter has been contrary to all the warnings he was given about the man. While he hadn’t been very talkative, that was hardly surprising from someone who was seemingly rather reserved and possibly not very comfortable with general social interaction. If most people he dealt with came into the situation with expectations, formed from the same things people had told Hugh beforehand, it could only make it more difficult. 

Puzzled there was such a mismatch between his experience and seemingly ship wide gossip, Hugh pondered the situation as he moved to put the clothes in the cleaning cycle. He didn’t know if he would have much cause to encounter the Lieutenant again in any significant way, outside of any unfortunate medical incidents in Engineering. He couldn’t deny however, that his curiosity was piqued.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, at least one more chapter to come and I hope you enjoy. Fingers crossed it won't be as long to the next one.
> 
> Thanks to all the lovely comments, they are all appreciated! 
> 
> As always, feedback is also welcome.

It took a few weeks for the excitement of embarking on their new mission to begin settling down. Once the immediate haste of departure was concluded, the ship gradually settled into its new routines. The crew rosters were posted, research projects began around the various departments on the ship and Hugh figured Sickbay shouldn’t be too busy in the immediate future. There was always the chance of unusual side effects from unexpected experiment results, but until any of that happened, Hugh had work of his own to do.   
His coworkers had attempted to grill him about the physical with Stamets and how it had gone. They seemed to refuse to believe him when he said it had gone well, that the Lieutenant had not been rude or difficult and that anything beyond that they should learn to mind their own business. 

Hugh saw Stamets about the ship on occasion. Usually just in passing in the corridors where they nodded to each other in greeting. One thing all the scientists had in common on the ship, was the focus of the intense researcher. Having just been refitted for its latest voyage, the Discovery felt like it was almost overflowing with scientific excitement. One thing Hugh is hoping for is the chance, should it arise, of joining a few landing parties to go with his own research. Maybe Stamets will be looking for alien mycelial matter as well on any M class planets they pass by, maybe to add to his specimens in his cultivation bay.

Sitting in the mess hall, Hugh was taking some time to relax before having to head back to Sickbay. Catching up on some reading and enjoying his tea. It had been quieter when he first arrived and he had managed to grab a smaller table out of the way. The mess had begun to fill with officers since then however, and it wasn’t quite the peaceful atmosphere from before. Concentrating on his PADD was helping to tune out the noise until he heard a throat clearing across from him. 

“Doctor. Do you mind if I join you?” Lieutenant Stamets was standing on the opposite side of Hugh’s table, a tray in hand. It only took a moment for the surprise to pass. It was all he needed to notice the slight tension in the Lieutenants posture however, the Doctor part of his brain never really turning off.

“Not at all. Please.” Hugh nodded towards the chair on the other side of the table with a smile of welcome. Some of the tension seemed to dissipate and Stamets put down his tray to take his seat. “Thank you. Trying to find some peace on this ship is a real challenge at times.” Stamets met his eyes briefly, nodding to him before beginning to eat. A brief understanding smile from Hugh in return and then they each settled quietly into their reading and dinner respectively. 

It seemed like only a short time later that Hugh’s communicator chirped, signaling his presence was wanted in Sickbay again. Turning off his PADD, he turned to Stamets as he got up. “I hope you manage that peaceful evening Lieutenant.” Looking up at him, Stamets smiled somewhat wryly. “We’ll see. Engineering could very well be on fire by the time I get back.” An unexpected huff of laughter escaped from Hugh. “That would make both of our nights more exciting than I’m hoping for. Good luck.”

Returning to Sickbay, Hugh pondered the company he had just shared. He honestly hadn’t expected Stamets to initiate a conversation with him, brief as it was, or choose his company, beyond their usual acknowledgement of passing by a fellow crewmember on board. Outside of his work in Engineering, he didn’t seem to be one to socialize much with anyone, but he also seemed to spend very little time out of Engineering, except for the necessity of sleeping and eating. Hugh suspected he didn’t do enough of those as he would consider suitable either. 

But the apparent difference between the brief encounters he had had with Stamets, and the view of the rest of the crew who had either dealt with him directly or heard about him seemed at odds. He had certainly worked for demanding supervisors and department heads before after all, and he had generally enjoyed the challenge they provided. But something must have been different between his approach to Stamets during their appointment in Sickbay and how the crew who seemed to run afoul of Stamets approached him instead.

Maybe Stamets just got fed up with the Starfleet mandated attempts at having all its officers be social and agreeable. Hugh himself knew he often just wanted to have some time to himself, or if company was unavoidable, some shared silence was preferable to constant small talk. He enjoyed talking with his staff on duty, and would join them socially where appropriate on occasion too. He gave so much of his energy to his work however, when people needed that comfort during difficult, frightening or painful moments, that he needed time when others were not demanding his attention.

The surprise expressed by his fellow Doctors over the ease of the physical seemed to correlate with the occasional commentary overhead from other crewmembers. Everyone passed through Sickbay at some point, so gossip from all over the ship tended to gather with the medical staff. So far he seemed to be the only person who had managed to get along with Stamets, which confounded his fellow medical staff a great deal, as from their point of view he seemed to be as opposite to the Lieutenant as possible.

He couldn’t deny however, that he had enjoyed the quiet company, albeit briefly during his break. Stamets clearly did not feel the need to fill every silence with chatter, which was honestly a bit if a relief. Not knowing how much their shifts overlapped at all, Hugh had no idea if they would end up having breaks in the mess at the same time at all. Not to mention how often he suspected the Lieutenant missed his breaks all together when caught up in his work. 

If the opportunity presented itself though, he would see if there was a potential mutual appreciation of quiet company they could both take advantage of.   
The first time Hugh spotted Stamets, he was sitting near the same out of the way spot they had shared previously. Although there was a reasonable number of people filling the tables, no one had tried to share table space with the Lieutenant. Preparing for the possibility that he might indeed prefer to sit alone and would reject Hugh’s request, he took his tray and headed over. He could see Stamets engrossed in reading, intermittently remembering to eat. Coming to a stop next to the table, Hugh had just opened his mouth to ask the question, when his presence was noticed. Glancing up, the frown gathering on the Lieutenants forehead seemed to freeze, mid formation, replaced by honest surprise. “Doctor?” 

“Hi. I was wondering if I could sit here.” It seemed to take a moment for Stamets to fully take in the statement. “I promise I won’t disturb your reading.” Seemingly overcoming his surprise at Hugh’s approach, Stamets gestured to the other chair. “Please, take a seat.” Taking the offered spot, Hugh offered a thank you, before settling in to eat and, as promised, not attempting to divert Stamets from his reading. 

As it turned out, although it seemed their shifts often didn’t cross paths with each other, there were a couple of breaks a week where they both seemed to find themselves in the mess hall around the same time. Through mutual silent agreement, they began to join each other, without needing to ask each time, at whichever out of the way table the first of them to arrive managed to commandeer. Those brief moments together were a pleasant bubble of peace, breaking up the work and research and social gatherings of the ship.   
Finishing the last of his paperwork, Hugh began closing the files he just updated with the final test results. Hugh was ready to finish his shift and relax a little. It’s the end of beta shift and aside from himself, Sickbay was empty, so at least he’d had some peace and quiet to get everything finished. The Sickbay doors open and close behind him and he suppresses a sigh. It’s typical that someone will arrive with a problem just as he’s about to go off shift.

Turning around Hugh is a little surprised to see Lt. Stamets approaching. Outside of their few mutually shared breaks, neither one of them has entered the others work area, although the chance that some medical assistance would be required was more likely than Hugh needing to go to Engineering. Everyone in Sickbay had been confounded by the fact Hugh and the Chief Engineer seem to get along while Hugh has not had a bad moment with him. Stamets has talked about his work a few times, working through a problem out loud to Hugh’s sympathetic ear seems to have given him a few inspired solutions, to which he has headed back to Engineering in order to test out his new hypotheses. 

He’s been a surprisingly good listener to Hugh when he has spoken of his work in turn. He can’t think of a reason for Lt. Stamets to come to sickbay however, as he can’t see any obvious injuries that need attending too. “Lt. What can I do for you?” Smiling in greeting. Paul comes up to him and nods in return. “Doctor. Your shift finishes soon doesn’t it?” Slightly confused at the question Hugh nods. “Yes, in a few minutes. Is there something wrong? I can stay a bit longer if you need something”   
“No, nothing like that. I’m fine.” Shaking his head, a faint flush seems to be appearing.

“I wanted to ask you if you’d like to share a drink with me. After your shift. If you don’t already have plans. If you have plans then don’t worry about it, I’m sure you must be busy.” He pauses for a second, looking Hugh in the eye before tilting his head away, still flushed and not actually giving Hugh a chance to interject in the conversation. “I’ll just leave you to it actually.” And he turns to leave. 

Hugh is a little stunned, but some reflex in him reaches out to wrap his fingers around Paul’s wrist as he begins to retreat. “Hey. Wait a second.” Paul stops moving instantly at the touch, but he doesn’t try and pull away. His gaze seems to lock at the point where their hands are almost touching, before raising his eyes to meet Hugh’s. The flush is still high on his cheeks. “I’d like to get that drink with you. My relief should be here any minute if you don’t mind waiting, then we could head out once they arrive.” Stamets clearly did not seem to have been expecting a positive response. 

Taking a moment, Stamets looks at Hugh, as if searching for confirmation of what he just heard. Hugh gently squeezes the wrist he’s still holding, strokes his thumb over the soft skin as he keeps eye contact with the Lieutenant. Hugh can feel a smile growing as Stamets nods. “All right then.” Returning the smile in kind. Letting his fingers slowly uncurl, as he lets Stamets go he can feel himself smile wider. “Let me just finish closing these files and I’ll be finished.” Turning back to the computer screen in front of him, Hugh can’t help but glance back at Stamets with a grin. “Of course.” Smiling back, Stamets taps the edge of the counter lightly with his fingers as Hugh closes the last of the files, just as Randell arrives to start his shift.

Turning to hand over Sickbay now he’s finished, Hugh also steps towards Stamets as Randell approaches. “Everything’s in order Doctor. Have a good shift.” Nodding towards Randell, Hugh doesn’t wait for any small talk that he’s pretty sure is on the tip of Randell’s tongue. With a look to each other, Hugh and Stamets fall into step as they head towards the exit together, both ready for that drink.


End file.
